Reading Madison's Mail
Bulletins from the frontiers of research: When it came to negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, American diplomats James Monroe and Robert Livingston sewed up the deal in a couple of weeks. …
Read MoreThe horror. The horror.
Sometimes I admire a book of history but am pleased I didn’t have to write it. Either it seems like a too-long project, or involves difficult research efforts, or requires spending psychic time with unattractive historical…
Read MoreWas King Richard III really all that bad?
After 500 years, we now know where the bones of King Richard III of England are. They have been found under a parking lot in Leicester, England, near the site…
Read MoreThe Brookeville White House
Just off Route 97 in Brookeville, Maryland, stands an 18th Century home, lovingly restored by Sandy and Duane Heiler, that served as America’s capital for about 18 hours in late…
Read MoreColonel Burr Onstage!
On Sunday, mi enamorata and I made a madcap day-trip to New York to view some one-act plays at the Founders’ Festival at the Metropolitan Playhouse on the…
Read MoreOne Billion New Readers?
Fun day today — I received two copies of the Chinese translation of The Summer of 1787! The one sobering thought is that, of course, I can hardly check on…
Read MoreJames Madison on War
James Madison, a good deal of the time, wrote with terrific insight. In a 1795 pamphlet, he summarized his thinking about the impact of war on a democratic society. Remember…
Read MoreThe Lincoln Deception!
That’s the title — just agreed to by all interested parties — for my novel about the John Wilkes Booth conspiracy! It will be released by Kensington Publishing next September. It’s an…
Read MoreA True Collector, Part 2
We last left our hero in the Dallas library of Harlan Crow, admiring the paintings of three World War II leaders (Eisenhower, Churchill, and Hitler). Outside the library, however, lurked…
Read MoreA True Collector, part 1
While in Dallas a couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a tour of the Harlan Crow Library, which is in Mr. Crow’s home. It was an…
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